GARY Neville has launched a scathing attack on modern-day footballers, accusing some of them of being “mollycoddled” by their agents.

Manchester United captain Neville claims some stars are so unwilling to take personal responsibility for their

lives that they pay their advisers vast sums of money just to “open a bank account, buy a fridge or negotiate a new contract for them”.

Neville, a former chairman of the players’ union, said: “it is one of my pet hates when i see players who have agents that do everything for them.

“They don’t know how to set up their own bank account, they don’t know what they’re spending their money on and they can’t make their own decisions.

“Not every player is like that but some are now totally dependent on agents and advisers. For me, life is an education

and you learn things as you go through it.”

Writing in his column in the times of Malta, neville added: “i think a footballer should sit down and negotiate with a club,

even if his agent is sitting with him.

"It is in a player’s best interests to be there and see what is going on.

“The idea of allowing someone to look after your financial and professional existence is something i cannot agree

with. there are some agents who do a good job looking after players, but there are others who stifle and mollycoddle players.

“Some agents will come into a player’s life when he is 20, leave his life at 34 and never want to know that player again.

“Every footballer needs an adviser at some point.

But a player doesn’t need to pay between five and 15 per cent of his wages to a guy to set up a bank account, buy him a new fridge, or ask his club’s chief executive for a pay rise.” neville has also played down england’s chances of winning the

World cup next summer, saying they are not among the three or four favourites in south Africa because of